Property owner and attorney Bill Miller said he feels the town should have contacted all the property owners before developing the plan. He said according to his survey, which he brought to the meeting, his property includes the parking spots in front of the Depot Street side of the building.
“You’re not going to take any of my land,” Miller said.
Trakas said they based the design on a survey done years ago by Butler and Associates, and they would review Miller’s and other owners’ surveys and resolve any conflicts before finalizing the plan.
Trakas emphasized that nothing about the proposal was set in stone yet.
“We’re here to get feedback,” he said.
Another issue brought up at the meeting was drivers speeding on Depot Street. Interim Town Manager Joey Davis said the town could look at the possibility of placing speed bumps in the area.
According to Crys Armbrust, business and tourism coordinator for the Town of Tryon, the master plan that served as the starting point for the Depot Plaza proposal was originally developed through community input and funded by a N.C. Rural Center Economic Innovation Grant. Armbrust said the town asked Trakas to revise the plan recently to reflect infrastructure upgrades made possible by Tryon’s award in March of a N.C. Department of Commerce’s Main Street Solutions Fund grant of $150,000, with $50,000 pending.
Asked whether the grant would cover all the proposed improvements, Armbrust said the initial cost analysis for the project has been done, and it included all improvements proposed in the Depot Plaza plan.